FOURTH GRADE INTEGRATED UNIT

Soil Recovery: Putting Your Soil

Samples Away for Next Year

(Spring 2016)

THE UTILITY AND ADVANTAGE TO SOIL RECOVERY

• It is important to conserve your soils so that you have them for your next class• Here is a way to have your students assist with

the process:• You can discuss the value of soil and the great expense

gardeners go through to maintain fertile and well balanced soils in their gardens.

• Have the students imagine ways to recover the soil so that they can engineer an effective soil recovery system.

ONE SOLUTION

• The dry soils are easily poured back into the bags from which they came. A goes into A, B Into B And so forth…• Wet soils need to be dried first. • There are 7 different soils in all.• Use 7 Stream Tables from your FOSS Kit• Line them with butcher paper and tape the paper in place• Label each prominently: 1, 2, 3, 4, A, B, C

USE PAPER TO LINE YOUR STREAM TABLES AND LABEL THEM.

ASSEMBLE YOUR 7 VOLUNTEERS

BASIC SET-UP INCLUDES THE PREPARED TRAYS, THE WET SOIL VIALS, 50 ML

SYRINGES, AND A CLEAN WATER SOURCE

FILL THE SYRINGES

SHAKE, FLUSH, DUMPADD WATER TO THE VIALS, CAP THEM, SHAKE THEM, AND THEN DUMP

INTO THE APPROPRIATE TRAY.

“CLEANED” VIALS ARE PLACED INTO RECEIVING BUCKETS

GRADUALLY, YOU HAVE A SLURRY OF SOILS

IN 3-4 DAYS OF HOT, DRY WEATHER AND YOUR SOIL IS READY TO BE HARVESTED

LOOSEN THE TAPE AROUND ALL THE EDGES THAT IS HOLDING THE

PAPER IN PLACE

PULL THE EDGES TOGETHER TO FORM A FUNNEL AT ONE END

CAREFULLY PLACE THE ROLLED “POUR SPOUT” INTO THE OPEN MOUTH OF THE MATCHING BAG (BY LETTER OR NUMBER)

TWO STUDENTS WORKING TOGETHER CAN FILL ALL THE BAGS IN 10 MINUTESMAKE SURE ALL BAGS ARE ZIPPED CLOSE

PLACE BAGS AND VIALS (CLEAN, DRY, AND CAPPED) IN BOX AND STORE FOR NEXT YEAR